Posts filed under ‘Party Ideas’

If you’re taking Mom out to a restaurant with a group tomorrow…here’s a great way to make it special and honor Mom as the special guest – Photo Menu or Seating Cards. See how we made these and get the template in the RSVP Club’s “How To” section for FREE at YouCanPlanAParty.com. This special touch is sure to add a festive touch to any gathering!

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I can’t express to you in mere words what a visceral response I had to just the trailer for Miss Representation. This award-winning film is eye-opening and maddening about just how much power the media has in shaping our young people’s perceptions of the world in which they live. If you disagree, watch the trailer. It’s not just TV, movies and music anymore. It’s magazines, video games, online media, social networking, and all that comes along with that. 10 hours and 45 minutes a DAY of consumed media. Much of it is damaging our girl’s self-esteem and confidence, creating body-image disorders, and a sense of uselessness, and a climate for our boys that breeds a false bravado and total lack of respect for women because they are taught to believe it is okay to treat women like sex objects.

In this week’s video not only do I urge you to watch the trailer, but I share some ease ideas to keep the “conversation” going. It’s such an important conversation…watch the trailer and the video blog and let’s chat. What do you think? Please leave a comment.

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In this fast paced world of cyber-connections, I strongly believe that face-time is what we all need more that collecting friends online. We need to hang out with our friends and family in person. Unfortunately, getting together with friends and family can have its problems: (1) We are so busy that we don’t have time to plan a get-together; (2) We feel financially strapped and can’t afford to throw an amazing party; and (3) Many of us don’t come by entertaining naturally and would rather not try than to risk failure.

As an award-winning party designer, professional television host, and three-time author, I built my business and reputation around my easy six-step formula to creating parties from the heart that people will remember for a lifetime. I’m a wife and busy mother of two, so I know what it’s like to juggle my time. That’s why I created this great party system. Whether you’re a novice or a professional, or fall somewhere in between, YouCanPlanAParty.com offers something for everyone.

You can plan a party as well as a professional party planner can, but for a lot less money and also save time and minimize the risk of failure. Here’s how: You can watch a few quick video clips and get affordable and innovative ideas to pull your party together. You can be your own DJ and play fun, customized music mixes to coordinate with your party theme. You can plan a delicious menu easily around your theme with recipes and full menu suggestions. You can find unique party supplies your friends haven’t seen before.

I’m committed to transforming the way you think about parties. To that end, I offer you access to tools you can start using today and ideas for celebrating the special people in your lives. Tab by tab, here’s what YouCanPlanAParty.com, offers. To walk you through the six steps of a successful party, check out my video show, “Shelby’s Secrets to a Great Party!”

THEME Tab – In this section, you’ll find my show which offers complete party plans from theme to party favors. Use my ideas or think of them as idea starters and add you own flair to create a cohesive shindig. Now playing, our End of Summer Party Plan, SOS Shipwreck Island Party.

PARTY PLANNING Tab – If you’re looking for ideas for one of my six party planning categories, then this is the section for you.

Element #1 – THEME, MOOD, & COLOR – Every great party begins with a great theme, even if it’s as simple as a color. These videos share ways to come up with and further flush out an exciting theme.

Element #2 – INVITATIONS – Since the invitation is the first thing your guests see, make it inviting and create some excitement. This collection of videos share clever ideas sure to get the party started.

Element #3 – DECOR & AMBIANCE – Set and setting are everything when it comes to creating environments for your guests to play in. This group of videos show you how to transform your party spaces with easy, affordable items.

Element #5 – ACTIVITIES – One of my secrets to a memorable party is to get my guests engaged in something. This group of clips show you ways to do just that.

Element #6 – SPECIAL TOUCHES – What sets my parties, and now yours, apart from others is what I call the “heart element.” This collection of videos illustrates ways to give your party heart through special touches.

TRANSFORMATIONSTab – To provide inspiration, this before and after section shows raw materials or typical rooms in your house, and what happens with a few easy steps…magic! This month, watch as artificial flowers and hair clips come together to create a lovely party favor for our shipwrecked ladies.

PARTY MART Tab – This exciting section offers access to my book series, The Enlightened Party Planner: Guides to Creating Parties from the Heart. There are three books to assist you in your quest to easily spend more time with the ones you love. The Six Elements of a Successful Party walks you through the approach in detail. Decade Parties: A Blast from the Past offers detailed ideas for theme parties from the 20s to the 80s, and Our Favorite Parties beautifully details the six-elements of fifteen party plans in narrative style.

This section also provides access to the YouCanPlanAParty Merch Mart on Zazzle.com. Loaded with literary thousands of party products from never-before-seen invitations, to sculptured centerpieces, to themed music speakers, the store is organized by party theme making it easy to shop for the items you want most. Plus, you’ll find supplies for every party outlined in my books, making it simple to make a party plan come to life.

This month check out our selection of Shipwreck products by simply clicking on Zazzle.com. Once there, select from main categories such as invitations, postage, centerpieces, party favors, etc., or type in “shipwreck” in the search box to see all the great products at once. Happy shopping!

CONTEST Tab – Cool prizes are awarded each month, usually props from the show, to an entrant who has used the six-step formula in one of their parties. This month’s prizes are a set of round raffia place mats, palm leaves, and palm fans…perfect for adorning a shipwreck party table.

RECIPESTab – In the Food & Beverage video clip, I introduce a cocktail called Blue Lagoon. By clicking on this tab, you’ll have access to the recipe, plus the non-alcoholic version.

RESOURCESTab – We’ve assembled over 60 affiliate resources to help make your party special. This section makes searching for something specific easy by simply going down the list of providers and using their research functions. You’ll always return to the YouCanPlanAParty page when you use the back arrow function, allowing you to quickly check the next provider on the list.

RSVP CLUBTab – This is a very special “back stage” section to the site. Sign up and you’ll have access to:

ASK SHELBY – Ask me anything! I’ll post my answers here. It’s like having a free consultation with a professional party designer!

HOW TO – This month, learn how to put a treasure hunt together and access the archives of great how-to projects.

MENU SUGGESTIONS – Check out the full, tasty menu for an Island Shipwreck Party, as well as past theme party menu ideas.

SHOPPING WITH SHELBY – A fun gorilla video section where I take you rogue shopping with me. Hear how a party designer thinks as I consider how raw materials can be used in a party setting.

BEHIND THE SCENES – A fun and eclectic section of videos of various professionals chatting about different aspects of planning parties.

FORUM – Share ideas with others members of our party community.

No matter what tab you click, YouCanPlanAParty.com makes throwing a party easy, affordable, and fun! Nothing provides connection more than sharing quality time engaged in conversation and laughter with people you care about. So gather your friends and family, and throw an end of summer party. Make it simple or go all out…it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re together in person and having fun face to face.

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July 5th is my birthday, the day after all the Independence Day celebrations. Everyone was back at work. My kids were enjoying a summer’s day with the neighborhood kids. In the afternoon, one of my daughters had a swim lesson, but other than that, there was nothing much going on; no plans for any sort of birthday celebration that I knew of. That’s alright, I told myself. It isn’t a milestone birthday, after all.

When I was small, it seemed every birthday was celebrated in grand fashion. Now a days it seems folks only celebrate the birthdays with a zero or a five after the first number—milestone birthdays—and of course, the La Quinceanera and the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs when one turns 15 and 13 respectively, not to mention Sweet 16 and that all-important 21st (in some states 18th). That’s cool, I thought, such birthdays should be celebrated in high style.

While I prefer the childhood notion of making each birthday a memorable fete, it isn’t always practical or cost effective. In keeping with today’s trend, here are a few tips and tricks for celebrating those milestone birthdays in style and always from the heart:

Think about the birthday boy and girl. What does he or she like? What does he or she like to do? Does he or she like large groups or intimate gatherings? Where’s their favorite place to spend time? The answers to these questions will help resolve the four W’s – the Who, What, Where, When.

Answer the following question as best you can. What is your intention for the party? This is the fifth W and the one that will set your party apart from others because it will create a context for the celebration to occur.

Use balloon bouquets. Nothing says “party” like balloons. I don’t care how old you are, you’re never too old or too young to enjoy these festive decorations. Balloons can be used in dozens of ways. Consider balloon bouquets on sticks. They’re simple to create and make quick and easy centerpieces.

Be sure to add at least one photo element to a milestone birthday party. Ideas include a photo cake or photo flags stuck into cupcakes. Having photo albums on display or creating fun collage frames with themes like “In the Life Of,” “Decades,” or “This is Your Life” are fun ways to get guests involved in the mood of the party. You can also use the windows around the party area as built-in photo frames to showcase the birthday boy or girl. If nothing else, consider photo thank you notes.

Create a special keepsake for the birthday boy or girl to document the event and everyone who was there, be it a platter, book, frame or other creative gift. Whatever gift you choose, be sure it is one they will treasure for a lifetime.

This month on “Shelby’s Secrets to a Great Party!” I’ve designed a party plan for a 1st birthday and it’s filled with many of the ideas above. Tune in to see how it all comes together. The great thing about this party plan is that it can truly be adapted for any age and gender.

You know, if I’ve learned anything over the last few years of working with clients and sharing my love of connection, it’s that everyday is cause for celebration. This year, even though my birthday wasn’t a milestone, the evening spent with friends and family, laughing, connecting, and enjoying the moments, was celebration enough.

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It’s never too early to start shopping for your red, white and blue party props, especially when they are made from unique “never-been-seen-at-a-party-before” designs. Click the link above to check out our assortment of patriotic items that can be customized to your liking or simply ordered as is. You’ll discover unusual items such as cook’s aprons, iPod speakers, invitations, postage stamps, even high-top tennis shoes!

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Let me set the record straight. I love on-line invitations. I think sending an electronic invitation, or evite, is good for the planet, convenient, and extremely cost effective. However, the lack of etiquette that often comes with this modern convenience would not meet the approval of Emily Post. Here’s how to show good etiquette when using online invitations:

WHEN PREPARING AN ONLINE INVITATION
DO send a Save-the-Date evite if you need to get a head count well ahead of time.
DO ask for regrets with your Save-the Date evite. If not sending a Save-the Date, simply send out your evites two weeks ahead of time.
DO address your evite to a specific person or people. If you’re inviting siblings or a couple, be sure to use their names. This extra effort conveys that you care about your guests and really want them to be part of the celebration.
DO make your invitations inviting. Think about your theme and choose virtual paper, envelope, rubber stamps, postage, etc. that coordinate. If you can’t find something that matches your theme, choose a template that has the right colors and allows for a photograph instead.
DON’T just send an email. With all the great FREE online invitation services available, there are no excuses. A customized evite lets your guests know that you’ve put some thought into this party. I’m partial to PunchBowl.com, but some other’s include SmileBox.com, PurpleTrail.com, AnyVite.com, and of course, Evite.com.

WHEN WRITING AN ONLINE INVITATION
DO include the Four W’s. (who, what, when, and where)
Who is the party for? What are you celebrating? What is the occasion? When is the party, the date and time? Where is it being held? Evites are meant to be convenient but you still need to provide all the pertinent information.

DON’T forget to include other pertinent information when needed, such as: your theme, costume requirements, venue or parking information, request for dietary requirements, and anything guests should bring, like special group gifts or props, and registry info.

DO proofread your copy then have someone else proofread it. If that’s not possible, read the copy out loud, word for word, very slowly to make certain you’ve used your best grammar and punctuation. It’s always nice to put your best foot forward.

WHEN RESPONDING TO AN ONLINE INVITATION
DO respond as soon as possible to an online invitation. I always encourage my clients to respond to an evite as soon as they receive it. If you can’t make the event, respond “No” right away. This allows the host to invite more people if need be (especially important for children’s parties), and it helps with knowing how many supplies to purchase, how much food to prepare, and gifts to buy or make. If you have to check on dates or babysitters, then respond as a “Maybe” right away. This lets the host know that you’ve seen the invitation and that you’re trying to work it out. The “maybe” button was added as a courtesy. Use it! To not respond at all or wait until the final days before the event, is just plain rude. Don’t be rude.

Father’s Day is coming up fast on Sunday, June 19th, and since Father’s Day celebrations tend to be informal and often times planned at the last minute, this is a perfect time to practice these online invitation do’s and don’ts.

Speaking of Father’s Day, if you’re looking for some SLICK party ideas for Dad, check out my NASCAR Father’s Day BBQ at YouCanPlanAParty.TV. We’ll get you all REVED UP and RARIN’ to go with great ideas for honoring dad in a fun and colorful way! Here’s a quick peek…

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Shelby L. Phillips

As an intuitive transformational messenger of hope, a communicative wife of 25 years, and an open-hearted mother of two, I take pleasure in telling good news stories, connecting people to the seven dimensions of well-being, and inspiring us to love ourselves and each other because life really is worth celebrating! Find out more about me at ShelbyPhillipsConnects.com